Rapid simulation methodology for under-hood aero/thermal management

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has witnessed significant advances in th e last half decade making it applicable to a wide range of problems in the automotive industry. The advent of unstructured grid technology, improved p hysical modeling capabilities such as phase change, radiation etc. have con tributed to the increased use of CFD in automotive applications. In spite o f the use of unstructured grids, the area of under-hood airflow and thermal simulation still requires significant amounts of time for grid generation. The paper describes a new approach which uses a Cartesian based grid syste m that allows for generating completed under-hood meshes within 2-3 days. I n addition, discussion about using a local (body fitted grid) model to addr ess thermal issues is presented. This represents an optimal combination of tools to obtain useful information for making engineering design decisions.